New Books!!!

Amie1977

Hi All,

I can't afford to go on to Level 3 with a training provider at the moment so I have just bought the Osborne Books (Tutorial and Workbook) from Amazon for Accounts Prep I and II, they arrived today and I can't wait to jump and try them.
They look really great and at least it will keep my hand in until I can afford to sign up with a trianing provider to take the exams.

katsutlieff

Amie, you don't need to be registered with a learning provider to sit an exam. You self study and when you feel ready to sit the exam you book into a local centre as an external student. My learning package ran out in March, so I rang BPP and asked to sit as an external student in London for my ECR exam.

If you feel competent going it alone, do it you will save yourself a lot of money.

Amie1977

OK cool, I thought you had to be registered with a training provider - this is going to save me sooo much money as I don't think I will need one as I didn't use HLC at all for my Level 2 except for marking my assignments and that cost a fortune!!

How did you get on with your ECR exam??

pirate

Amie1977

I did all my study for Level 3 without any help from my distance learner, I could have had it it wasnt that they were unhelpful it was just that I didnt need it so I think you will be fine.
For Level 4 I used them a bit for DFS (Financial Statements) and will use them for my project I think but otherwise.

Goodf luck we are here to help if you get stuck

Amie1977

Hi Guys,
Thanks for this, just a another quick question - where would I find a list of the centres that I could sit the exams?

I have had a look on my MyAAT pages under book exams but it says that there isn't any at the moment - is this because it just shows me as doing Level 2??

pirate

I dont think the exam pages show the CBes because they are taken at any time and is down to college
Give the AAT a bell and they can email you a list of centres which accept external candidates
where are you in the country?

deedi

I've been told that if you contact the AAT they will give you a list
I'm going to try the same too

Amie1977

I'm near Colchester in Essex so they may do it at the Colchester Institute. Will gove the AAT a call later and ask. - Thanks

katsutlieff

I rang kaplan and BPP and asked where the nearest centre was.

I was due to sit my ECR paper exam today but ended up cancelling as I wasn't ready to do it. I have booked in to Croydon on the 24th to do it instead. At least the wait for the result wont be as long that way either

uknitty

Colchester Institute offer AAT level 4 as a taught course which would suggest to me that they do have the facilities to allow students to take CBE's.

http://www.colchester.ac.uk/courses/business-and-management/aat-technition-nvq-level-4

Just a quick note about the fees for CBE's as an external student - sometimes the college will add an additional "booking charge" on top of the exam fee. I've had to pay in the region of £65 (so an extra £30) to sit my level 3 exams at Kaplan Liverpool because I am not registered as one of their students.

Under the new standards it is going to be even easier to sit the AAT independently as you don't need to get skills tests physically "marked" by a training provider. The majority can be assessed via CBE/A.

Good luck, you can definitely go it alone - especially if you use all the resources on the AAT website and forums

kate86

Hi Arnie,

I'm waiting for my results for unit 31 on level 2 but am going to do the same as you and just buy books for level 3 - please let me know how you get on with approaching Colchester to sit your CBA's as I'm not too far from you but have had to go to Kaplan in London to sit my CBA and apart from the fact it costs loads it also takes a whole day that I need to have off work. Will be interested to hear what they say.

Amie1977

Hi All,

I'm afraid to say that I have been informed by Membership Support at AAT that you DO have to be signed up with a Training Provider to sit the exams so you CAN'T just buy the books from Amazon and sit the exams.

Oh well, thought I would save a bit of money....well I still will by not continuing with HLC who want £1900 for Level 3!! Even with the fact that it includes exam fees I really cannot see the justification for that amount of money!!

PAMDILL

Go to Eagle Education, I swapped to them from Kaplan for Level 4 and have found them great

anniebabe

I wonder when they brought that rule into force, ive just sat a paper exam and I wasnt registered with anyone. Is that a new thing for the new qual? did they say?

Amie1977

Well I have the response from them by email ( i have posted on another thread) so I have just signed up with Eagle Education.

Can't wait for their pack to come through now - then book the exam for next month!

wannabebean

Hi

I am an External Student - it's all a bit on the vague side when you are an External. I don't think that they really want to encourage it much - after all there isn't any real incentive for a centre to take an external student as you are only paying exam fees.

You can book an external exam with a few different centres, however Kaplan is the one I went with. I ended up sitting 5 exams at Liecester and one over in Milton Keynes just so I could get the dates. I then done my Spreadsheet software with Kaplan Distance Learning.

Im now on Level 4 and I have completed my ICAS project and got a Competent (Kaplan Distance Learning) and I have sat my Budgeting Level 4 at Liecester (which I hope to have passed).

I now start into Financial Performance. When I think I have done enough I will contact Kaplan at Liecester, Milton Keynes or Birmingham and see if there is an exam slot that I can make.


So far I have spent about £200 on books. £245 on exams. And about £200 on the 2 projects. It is likely to cost about £1000 for the Level 3 and 4 including AAT Student Membership and allowing for one or two re-sits if needed. I could sell off some books when done but I probably won't. I started the course in Jan 2011 and aim to complete in December 2011. Im about 70% of the way there.

You need to ENROL with each Kaplan centre you sit an exam at - you need to get an enrollment form (via email) fill it out and take it with you with some I.D on the day of the exam (photgraphic I.D). Be warned that some Kaplan centres will insist that you send the enrollment form back again at least 5 working days before you want to sit the exam - and not just simply bring the form with you.